Tottenham See Former Ajax Teammate as Key to Luring Matthijs de Ligt to North London

​Tottenham are one of several teams rumoured to be interested in highly-rated Ajax youngster Matthijs de Ligt, and they believe they have a secret weapon which could help tip the balance in their favour.

Thursday’s edition of Diario Sport (via ​Sport Witness) puts Barcelona in the driving seat to sign De Ligt. It was claimed earlier in the week that Barca ​could prioritise the 19-year-old over his Ajax teammate Frenkie de Jong, who is also on their radar.

However, there are several Premier League teams also vying for De Ligt’s signature, with ​Tottenham joined in the race by ​Manchester United and ​Manchester City. Italian champions ​Juventus have been mentioned as a possible destination as well.

Mauricio Pochettino’s side may struggle to compete with such European powerhouses in the transfer market, but they are hopeful that De Ligt’s former teammate ​Davinson Sanchez could persuade him to join the North London club.

Sanchez was in the team when De Ligt made his Eredivisie debut in 2016 and the two formed a good partnership as they played together several times before the end of the season.

Sanchez joined Tottenham that summer but Spurs are now hoping to reunited the pair. The presence of a familiar face could help De Ligt to settle in London.

At the age of 18, De Ligt has already made 76 appearances for Ajax. He has conceded just once in seven Eredivisie appearances this season and was outstanding in their recent Champions League draw with Bayern Munich.

He also has seven caps at international level and has been included in the Netherlands squad for their upcoming matches against Germany and Belgium.